


The Other Side of the Frosted Glass

by coffee_o



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, a little childhood mocaran, afterglow is mentioned, background tomohima in that one sentence if you squint hard enough, bit of princess/prince dynamic but not really bc moca’s definitely more of a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 00:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffee_o/pseuds/coffee_o
Summary: She hadn’t thought that falling in love would be this weird, thismessy- it never occurred to her that she would even be falling for her best friend since young. It’s like a dance that they started around each other - and this time, Moca interrupts the rhythm with an unexpected new move of her own, as if raising a challenge.





	The Other Side of the Frosted Glass

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scytherion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scytherion/gifts).



> happy birthday scythe! your art and fics are so soft and a huge blessing to the fandom + i swear you’re an art god tbh?? 
> 
> also thanks finn for looking through this fic, you’re the best \o/

“ _Moca always talks about you during our part-time job._ ”

 

The tidbit of information that she’s now privy to no thanks to Lisa has been bothering Ran for a few days now. It shouldn’t bother her, yet, it does - and infuriating so. What had Moca been telling Lisa about her? And _why_ would Moca talk about her?

 

Sometimes when she looks at Moca, Ran feels like - no, _wants_ to wipe that smug smile off her face. The way the guitarist often drawl her words out, a hint of mirth dancing behind her gray eyes as her lips curl into a slanted smirk - it’s at worst, kind of irritating yet, at the same time, Ran finds it annoyingly adorable. Even more so when Moca decides to tease her - in which her smirk would be replaced by a shit eating grin. And even so, there’s this sense of an indescribable _something_ that stirs at the pit of her stomach, a certain warmth that floods her heart. If she was to be honest with herself, it’s almost as if she enjoys being teased by Moca.

 

...is she a masochist?

 

Ran feels her cheeks burning at the thought and quickly dismisses it. Because there’s no way, _no way_ _in hell_ that she likes being teased by - Ran pauses, her eyebrows scrunch up in a slight frown as a new horrifying thought suddenly occurred to her. Maybe it’s the attention that she receives from the ashen-haired girl - maybe that’s the reason why she’s experiencing all these weird feelings when Moca teases her. The fact that Moca’s looking at her, thinking about her, and _notices_ her.  

 

It’s always the subtle gestures from Moca that gets to Ran, making her heart flutter in ways that distract her - from the unspoken words of concern, the natural way the other girl drifts to her side when Moca senses something is up, and the times where Moca slips next to her side exposed to the streets with ease. Moca has always made it seem like it isn’t deliberate, and Ran likes to think that it’s Moca’s own way of showing her concern for her.

 

It’s confusing, and her mind is always full of thoughts about Moca, her stomach in knots at times when she sneaks a glance (or two) over at the other girl. Most times, she questions herself - _why Moca?_

 

Even as she lies on her bed with such thoughts that she still has no answers to, Ran can only sigh to herself. Allowing her headphones to slide down her neck, she closes her eyes, and lets the familiar beats of rock music play in the background, slowly lulling her to a soundless sleep.  

 

* * *

 

On hindsight, there are probably many things that one does now that started off as something trivial from the long past, and gradually it becomes a habit.

 

For Moca, it started off as something the 5-year old her back then really wanted - to spend more time with Ran, before they met the rest of Afterglow. It’s a small innocent and earnest wish of Moca’s each time she went over to Ran’s house. Maybe it was selfish of her, but Moca liked to think that it was akin to the dragon from the fairy tales, stealing away the princess before the princess had to prepare for her flower arrangement lessons. Besides, a dragon, unlike a prince, wasn’t noble or particularly nice - Moca didn’t like to share food (bread mostly) - and they could _breathe fire._  In short, Moca wasn’t a _prince_.

 

When they had to part, there was often reluctance in Ran’s eyes, as she averted her gaze away from Moca while they said goodbye. Her lips were pursed tightly, as if there was something she wanted to say but didn’t (or couldn’t).

 

Because Ran didn’t say anything, Moca didn’t either. But the hint of sadness through Ran’s own outward behavior struck a chord within Moca, and at times, unexpectedly, she found her throat tightening up.

 

It happened by accident one day.

 

Moca had fallen asleep on the desk while finishing up her homework. When she woke up, she realized that she was lying on Ran’s lap, while the other girl was absorbed in a book, too engrossed to notice that fact.

 

Moca liked to observe Ran, and staring up at the other girl, whose attention was fixed onto a book, there was something hypnotic in the way Ran flipped over the pages slowly, in an almost rhythmic-like manner, her large eyes widening ever so slightly when part of the story captured her attention.

 

When Ran noticed that Moca was already awake, she was thoroughly embarrassed - Moca found it incredibly cute (red was a good color on Ran, Moca had thought back then). Thus, in order to selfishly observe her friend more, Moca decided to pretend that she was still asleep the next time, cocking an eye open just to secretly observe the other girl.

 

Soon, it became a habit for Moca to start lying on Ran’s lap, snoozing her way through the lazy afternoons, comforted and wrapped in Ran’s warmth. When the time came and Ran tried to wake Moca up, she’d pretend to sleep longer, just so she could continue to lie on Ran’s lap.

 

Moca learned that when she continued to stay asleep, Ran wouldn’t have the heart to wake her up. It almost seemed unfair, but Moca didn’t always play fair. She wasn’t the righteous prince afterall.

 

And thus, over the years, Moca had perfected the state of seeming as if she was asleep when she really wasn’t, passing her days with Ran in a comfortable and quiet peace.

 

What Moca didn’t know was that Ran had eventually figured it out but chose to say nothing.

 

Moca wasn’t a prince, she was a dragon. Maybe someday, the dragon would triumph instead, and claim the princess as theirs.

 

* * *

 

Ran’s gaze, almost magnetically, trails to Moca who has taken to standing near the rooftop door. The rest of Afterglow are busy with other commitments during lunch break, leaving the duo to spend their lunch time together.

 

Moca, in her black parka with her hood up, is leaning against the wall, her eyes screwed shut. And within the next few seconds, Ran already knows that Moca has fallen asleep - standing up. She should have been used to it by now, but it never ceases to amaze Ran how Moca’s able to sleep while standing upright.

 

It’s times like this that Ran thinks how peaceful Moca looks, a huge contrast to her usual behavior. A sense of nostalgia washes over her as she remembers a younger Moca sleeping on her lap. She feels her own expression soften slightly, finding herself missing those days, and vaguely wonders if Moca ever thinks about the past.

 

Once, when they were young, Himari had claimed that Tomoe was her prince - a knight who protects a princess like Himari. Ran had subconsciously turned towards Moca, who had gone uncharacteristically quiet before proclaiming loudly that she was a dragon. Ran did not miss the quick glance from Moca when she said that. It’s a memory that sticks to Ran till now, and at times, Ran wonders if there’s a reason why Moca claimed that she was a dragon.

 

Moca is a mystery, Ran sometimes thinks. It’s hard to decipher what’s going on in her head (besides Yamabuki Bakery’s bread) because Moca rarely expresses her true feelings in a direct manner, hiding them behind a bunch of non-sequiturs or concealing them through teasing others. Despite knowing Moca for almost forever, there are times where Moca just confuses her.

 

They aren’t really the most communicative pair, preferring to not wear their hearts on their sleeves, especially Ran herself. She knows that she has a tendency to hide and bottle up her feelings - but often, it’s only a futile attempt because it doesn’t take long for her friends, especially Moca, to realize that something is up. Serious talks between the both of them often end up in awkwardness; maybe that’s why Moca often relies on her jokes and weird flirting to tease out Ran’s feelings. Sometimes she succeeds, but other times it just irks Ran. Yet, Moca is the one who knows her the best, who cares for her a whole lot more than she lets on.

 

With Moca, Ran has to dig deeper - to search behind those blue-gray eyes of Moca’s that see through almost everything. Ran lets her gaze linger towards her childhood friend, taking note of the round contours of the other girl’s features, her somewhat sharp jaws, how pale her skin is reflected off the weak sunlight, before her eyes finally land on the slightly parched lips before her.

 

Ran isn’t really good with words either, and her thoughts are often a mess - but standing here, eyes fixed on her childhood friend, her lips are dry, the beats of her heart running amok, Ran finds herself leaning and closing into Moca, her stomach churning in anticipation.

 

She takes a tentative pause, highly aware of how warm her cheeks have gotten, feels how clammy her hands are and halts her movement just as the cool breeze brushes against her face, messing up her hair.

 

Maybe this is a bad idea, Ran is suddenly filled with doubts, as a feeling akin to panic takes root within her. She hesitates, and just as she decides to back away, a soft touch against her cheeks causes her to freeze in her steps, and a split second later, she feels a foreign softness pressed against her own lips.

 

“W-Wha-” It takes Ran a few seconds longer than she should to pull herself away, her face scarlet red when she realizes that Moca had kissed her.

 

“I kissed you because you weren’t going to.” Moca’s eyes flutter open, a familiar goofy grin reaches her lips.

 

There are many things Ran wants to say - her mind’s muddled in a daze while trying to process and piece everything together.

 

She hadn’t thought that falling in love would be this weird _,_  this _messy_ \- it never occurred to her that she would even be falling for her best friend since young. It’s like a dance that they started around each other - and this time, Moca interrupts the rhythm with an unexpected new move of her own, as if raising a challenge.

 

It’s rare for Moca to take the initiative when it comes to the matters of the heart. But here they are, staring at each other, with Moca waiting for Ran’s next move.

 

Ran doesn’t really understand how feelings work - she’s at least aware of how warm it has gotten, of the wildfire that’s quickly spreading within her, how fast her heart is still pounding against her chest, but as she tries to formulate some sort of verbal response, a realization suddenly hits her like a speeding truck.

 

Ran stops thinking.

 

Instead, she leans forward and pulls Moca’s head in, and this time, their lips crash against each others’.

 

In that instant, some sort of glass-like barrier between them shatters.

**Author's Note:**

> hi so i have a soft spot for mocaran,, but it doesn’t come to me as easily (as coughs lisayuki coughs) so this was an attempt! largely inspired by the in-game interaction between lisa and ran where lisa tells ran that moca talks about her a lot when they’re working at the convenience store lol 
> 
> constructive criticisms are welcomed! 
> 
> also, feel free to hmu @polarbearsign (tumblr)/@coffee_orz (twitter) to talk about bandori in general!


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